Long Walks & Leisure Times at the 'cliff

It's a few months back now, but this little adventure one weekend in the Summer was too lovely not to mention.    

Sally & her family were staying in a big house with bedrooms a plenty, this thanks to it once being a nunnery.  Always a most hospitable & generous family, I was fortunate enough to hang out with them for a few days in the lovely surrounds of Queenscliff.  

This is what we got up to: long walks, long talks, dining out & (as they are the finest of foodies) grand cook ups.

My first morning there & we were right into it, nice & early.  After all, we were on a schedule.  Based around food? Perhaps. But after a long walk of twenty odd kilometres, one needs to plan ahead & make the destination really count, right?

Having taken in the peaceful pastures, with crickets' chirps riding the breeze & butterflies hovering close by, we found ourselves back in civilisation when we reached Terindah Estate winery.

This buzzing place was very popular (as you might have noticed) with both the kitchen & wait staff busy as bees.

After ordering from the day's menu (the dishes are continually being adapted according to season & availability of produce) we were presented with these beauties.

Lamb with root vegetables & oriental-esque salad.

Flathead fillets, buttered, over a simple yet super tasty mix of green peas & orzo.

Tenderloin steak over a myriad of colour.  My memory is not serving me 100% but I do recall reading purple potatoes on the menu.  We can just let our imaginations run wild with this one.

After polishing off lunch, we took a tour of the neighbouring cellar door & then headed onto Jack Rabbit estate for some spectacular views.

And maybe a spot of people watching . . .

On the way home, inspired by the delicious creations at lunch, we made a few stops for some groceries.  As a guest or two more were due at Casa Hayes of Queenscliff, we set about spending the remaining hours of the late afternoon playing in the kitchen.

Fortunately, long walks conjured memories of the Camino Trail walk undertaken by Sally's mother last year.  So, in light of that, & because we had a bounty of squid, Sal's Mum went to work in recreating her favourite Spanish dish of Galicia.

The following morning found Sally & I out and about once more.  This time for a slightly more modest 10km number.

Special thanks to the Hayes family for having me stay.  A beautiful beach holiday with beautiful company (see above :-)

Road Trip Instalment Three

So here it is, morning numéro 3.  Look how the lovely morning light peeks through the trees . . . 

In case you're wondering about the socks, they are handmades by a cool couple based in the town of Skamokawa, Washington State.  They are incredibly delicious to wear.  The socks, not the couple.

After bidding farewell & thanking our hosts at Koompartoo Retreat, we went in search of breakfast . . .

 

And boy, breakfast and a view did we find . . . 

We dined alongside the cows grazing in the paddock below.

Watered & fed, we picked up some fresh produce before jumping back on the road for the final leg. After a few hours in the car & a decent share of roadworks we rolled into Byron Bay where I went on a hunt for the Conscious Cafe.

Tucked away in a supermarket parking lot you will find some dang good vegetarian food, made from the kinds of goodies that will make you smile inside & glow on the outside.

Not to mention some phenomenal smoothies.  

If you're in the Byron environs, this place has a wonderful vibe about it & beckons you to kick back & watch the hippies go by ;-)

Peace.

Road Trip Instalment Two

Looking at these photos I now realise I've done a complete hop, skip & jump over day two on the road.  Ah, well.  We'll leave this as "Instalment Two" in an attempt to maintain some appearance of continuity.

In actual fact, this is the view I woke up to day three of the trip up north in the town of Port Macquarie.

Gosh, I love these trees and the look of their silhouettes in the morning light.

Port Macquarie has always been a spot where we like to stop during the drive up the coast.  One of the highlights being the dinner we look forward to at the superb restaurant, The Stunned Mullet.

Every meal I've had there has been de-lish and I'm so glad we happened upon this gem in Port Mac.

No visuals of the meal, unfortunately, but I can highly recommend the Market Fish 'Catch of the Day' with coconut milk, sweet potato & Asian greens. Mwah!  

Dad had the duck - a favourite of his - which did not disappoint in the slightest; rich & tender as it was. 

After a hearty breakfast the following morning, we reloaded the car & made our way to Bellingen, a town further inland and a place we'd never been before.  All we'd heard was good reviews from family & friends through descriptions of a pleasant & low-key town with a touch of "hippie" about it.
As I am all about hippie towns & the hinterland in rainy weather, I had no hesitation in exploring this place.

We stopped at a sufficiently colourful & cozy cafe to have lunch before returning to our rainforest cabin to nap, read and listen to the afternoon rain.

My snug little corner of the log cabin.  

I was a bit in love with the place we stayed, to be honest.  And there were candles everywhere in the room that were begging me to light them.  

And finally some chai to sip on as I curled up on the couch with my book.
Pure bliss.

Road Trip Instalment One

At the beginning of the week my Dad & I hit the road bound for northern New South Wales.

Over a several days we made our way leisurely up the coast until we reached Cabarita.  

Here are some shots from day numéro uno on the open road.

Me with the cows.  Me wearing my favourite travel-friendly trousers.  They are not pyjama pants, although they appear that way in this photo.
I think right after this shot was taken we took off with the boot open.

Our booty.

I imposed Lana Del Rey on Dad but to even things out we had a good dose of Cold Chisel & Bruce Springsteen.  What a good daughter / fortunately I love Bruce.

I loved the pink & mauve hues of the sky as the sun set over the hill behind us.
We were to reach our first destination, Moss Vale, just before 9pm where we were warmly welcomed by relatives with wine & a beautiful meal.